Ways to say it
| Italian | IPA | Note |
|---|---|---|
| macchina | /ˈmak.ki.na/ | feminine |
| auto | /ˈa.u.to/ | feminine |
| automobile | /aw.toˈmɔ.bi.le/ | feminine |
| autovettura | /aw.to.vetˈtu.ra/ | feminine |
In Italian, several words can be used to refer to an automobile or a vehicle steered by a driver. While macchina is the standard word used in everyday life, other forms like auto, automobile and autovettura exist for specific contexts.
Which one should you use?
macchina is the most frequent way to say 'car' in everyday spoken Italian. auto is a very common abbreviation used in daily conversation. automobile is used in more formal contexts, and autovettura is a technical or formal term used primarily in legal, administrative or official contexts, such as traffic police reports.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
macchina is the common, everyday choice for most situations. auto is also common in regular speech. If you need to be formal, you might use automobile, while autovettura is reserved for highly formal or official professional contexts.
How does it change in a sentence?
The word auto is an abbreviation of automobile and is treated as a feminine noun. All the forms provided, macchina, auto, automobile and autovettura, are feminine nouns.
How do you pronounce it?
The word macchina is pronounced /ˈmak.ki.na/. It has 3 syllables, and the stress is on the 1st syllable.
Did you know?
Examples in context
- È la tua auto.That's your car.This sentence is useful for identifying ownership of an auto.Tatoeba #11745885 by Guybrush88, translation #2767812 by FeuDRenais2
- Tom ha un auto.Tom has a car.This sentence is useful for stating that someone has an auto.Tatoeba #2706456 by Guybrush88, translation #1495910 by CK
- Ha la mia auto.He has my car.This sentence is useful for expressing that someone has an auto.Tatoeba #8482481 by Guybrush88, translation #8476544 by CH
- Ho comprato una nuova automobile di lusso.I bought a new luxury car.
- Sai dov'è parcheggiata la mia macchina?Do you know where my car is parked?
- 5513 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Chiara and Francesco are deciding how to travel to the city center.
- ChiaraAndiamo in centro con la mia macchina?Shall we go downtown in my car?
- FrancescoSì, è meglio che prendere l'autobus.Yes, it is better than taking the bus.
- ChiaraDove hai parcheggiato la macchina?Where did you park the car?
- FrancescoÈ proprio davanti al portone.It is right in front of the main door.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “car” translations and entries macchina, auto, automobile, autovettura, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries auto, automobile, autovettura, macchina, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
